Members of the yearbook staff at Buchanan and Niles high schools honed their skills during a two-day summer workshop for students last month at Saint Mary’s College in Notre Dame, Indiana.

Jessica Cornelius, the yearbook adviser for Buchanan High School, took students Dravyn Patterson, McKayla Lukkarila and Kaitlyn Ward to the Midwest Yearbook Workshop, which was held June 25 and 26.

Nic Hawley, the yearbook advisor for Niles High School, took students Kelly Bickel, Hallie Corzine and Sarah Sheperd.

Cornelius said the workshop was invaluable for several reasons, including that it got her students excited to make the 2015-16 yearbook even better than last year’s, which won a Gallery of Excellence Award from Walsworth Publishing Company.

“They can’t wait to get going. They are very motivated,” she said.

Sessions at the workshop enabled the advisers and students to learn about theme development, design, coverage, copy writing and other aspects of creating a yearbook.

Yearbook staff worked with a professional artist to create a yearbook cover and received one-on-one consultation from an award-winning adviser.

In addition, they met other yearbook students from about 15 other high schools and universities.

“It was a good opportunity for schools to get together to brainstorm ideas and see what direction to take with the yearbook this year,” Cornelius said.

The workshop was hosted by Valerie Tanke, yearbook sales representative in northwestern Indiana, southwestern Michigan and northeastern Illinois for Walsworth Publishing Company and Saint Mary’s College, Blue Mantle yearbook staff.

Among the teachers were yearbook adviser David Zinsmeister from Manchester High School in North Manchester, Indiana, Katie Bretzlaff from Bradley Bourbonnais Community High School in Bradley, Ill., Anthony Perez from Walsworth Yearbooks, Kris Hemry from Walsworth Yearbooks, Sarah Messmann from Walsworth Yearbooks, and Michelle Brosemer from Walsworth Yearbooks.